Process of producing gas.



PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

B. E. BLDRED.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GAS.

APPLICATION P ILED MAY 11. 1905.

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WITNESSES: 2 //2/% 62' w/ 1NVENTOR PATENTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

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B. E. ELDRED.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1905.

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WITNESSES PATBNTED SEPT. 12, 1905.

B. E. ELDRED.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIon.

BYRON E. ELDRED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ELDRED PROCESS COMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PROCESS oF PRODUCING GAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed May 11, 1905- Serial No. 260,019.

ducing Combustible Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process for producing combustible gas by theproducer process as distinguished from the retort and watergas processesand relates, moreover, to those systems of gas production andconsumption in which the gas-producing mass of fuel is functionallyremote from the place of gas consumption.

It relates particularly to a process for the control of the temperatureand for the regulation of the combustion of the gas-producingmass bymeans of a fixed, endothermicallyreacting permanent gas which by itsreaction and interreaction with the combustible matter of thegas-generating fuel mass causes an endothermic absorption of heat totake place, and the gas-producing mass is thereby held or maintained ata desirable gasifying temperature.

This invention furthermore involves the application of theendothermically-reacting gas in a highly-heated condition.

It has been proposed to make use of hot products of combustion for themanufacture of producer-gas and to thereby reduce or eliminate the steamor water vapor now employed in the operation of gas-producers.

Efforts to use products of combustion in a highly-heated condition haveproved unsuccessful owing to the fact, it appears, that certain peculiarphenomena were not fully appreciated. In every chemical change themolecules entering into reaction are in a state of vibration, and theirrapidity of vibration, together with their chemical affinities, givesrise to a certain rate of change which is denominated the velocity ofreaction. Velocity of reaction is dependent upon several conditions,chief and most important of which is temperature. F Increase intemperature usually serves to increase the velocity of the reaction,although there are certain exceptions to this law. For the purposes ofthis invention,

however, the above generalization is correct. In the manufacture ofproducergas by means of the passage through a deep bed of ignited fuelof a blast-current composed of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxid thefol lowing reactions occur:

The oxygen on striking the lower part of the bed of fuel burns thecarbon thereof to carbon dioxid, and this in passing upward through thefuel-bed becomes reduced .to carbon monoxid. The carbon dioxidintroduced from an extraneous source is reduced in a similar manner. Thenitrogen is not reactive and passes through the bed of fire unchanged.Inthe first reaction above given carbon is burned to carbon dioxid and agreat amount of heat is developed. It is therefore an exothermicreaction. In the second reaction the changes taking place in the carbondioxid formed by the first reaction or introduced from an externalsource are shown. It is therefore an. endothermic reaction. Obviously inthe lower part of the gas-producer an intense heat will be developed bythe first reaction and in gasproducer practiceintense heat in any partof the producer must be avoided, owing to the formation of clinker andslag which retard the passage of the blast through the fuel and preventthat continuity of operation so highly essential in all gas-producerwork. The carbon dioxid introduced from an external source is, as abovestated, endothermic in its reaction; but its speed of combination orvelocity or reaction with the carbon of the fuel is not as great as thatof oxygen. Consequently in its passage through the fuel it does notexert its endothermic action as quickly as the oxygen of the blastexerts its characteristic exothermic reaction. As a result the lowerportion of the fuel mass is heated to a high degree, while immediatelyabove this Zone of high temperature a pronounced cooling action takesplace, owing to the splitting up at that point of carbon dioxid. Suchlack of uniformity in the combustion of the fuel is pro-. ductive ofunsatisfactory operation, leading to great fluctuations in thetemperature of the producer and extreme variations in the quality of theproducer-gas.

It is the object of the present invention to operate the gas-producer insuch a manner that, as above described, fluctuation of temperature andformation of Zones of unequal temperature are practically avoided and. auniform production of combustible is secured.

If in order to overcome the intensely-high temperature in the lower partof the producer, due to the relatively great speed of the exothermicreaction over that of the endothermic reaction, an endeavor is made tointroduce a large portion of the endothermic constituent, it beingunderstood that the gases are introduced in a highly-heated condition,it will be observed that while the preponderating amount of theendothermic constituent is exerting a noticeable cooling action on theregion of the high temperature in the lower part of the producer it alsoexerts a similar influence in the upper part of the producer, whereordinarily fresh fuel is added and where it is essential the temperaturebe such as to evolve the volatile hydrocarbons from the fuel. The resultof increase in the endothermic constituent at the point at which asatisfactory control of temperature in the lower part of the producer issecured inevitably results in the cooling of the upper part of the fuelmass, with consequent fluctuation in the quality of the gas.

My invention, as aforesaid, has for its object the use of highly-heatedproducts of coinbustion and their use in such quantities that thetemperature in the lower part of the producer is maintained below theslagging or clinkering point of the particular fuel employed, While theupper part of the producer is maintained at a temperature sufficientlyhigh to effect the desired evolution of the hydrocarbons of the fuel bythe uniform distillation thereof.

My invention consists in applying hot products of combustion to thelower part of the gas-producing mass and introducing above or beyondthis a regulated amount of air. In this manner the temperature of thegas of the lower part of the gas-producer may be maintained-at thedegree required, while the upper part of the gas-producer may have itscombustion accelerated by the addition of the requisite amount ofoxygen.

In the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 representdifferent forms of apparatus which may be used in the practice of myprocess.

In Fig. 1, l is a gas-producer having the gas-outlet 2, feed-apertures3, water seal 4, blast-baflle 5, and blast inlets or twyers 6 and 7. 8is a furnace having the hearth 9 and stack 10. 11 is a conduit extendingfrom the stack 10 to the twyers 6. Interposed in this conduit is afan-blower 12, having on the inlet side an air-inlet 15. 13 and 14 arevalves or dampers for regulating the flow of gases. 16 is a fan havingconnection with the upper set of twyers 7 by means of the conduit 17. 18is an air-inlet pipe with controlling-damper 19, by means of which airmay be entered into the gas producer through the twyers 7. 20 is aconduit or pipe having the damper 21 and the cooling-veins 22.

' In the operation of the above apparatus hot gases are taken from thefurnace 8 and propelled into the lower part of the producer through thetwyers 6. Immediately above, through the twyers 7, fresh air or aircontaining a small amount of products of combustion is admitted to anextent sufficient to maintain the temperature of the lower part of thegasproducing mass at an efi'ective gasifying heat.

In Fig. 2, 1 is a gas-producer having the gas-outlet 2,feedhoppers 3,water seal 4, blastbaflie 5, twyers 6, and air-inlets7. 8 is a furnacehaving the hearth 9, the stack 10, and con necting-flue 11. 12 isablower of the positive type having the propeller-wheels 13. 14 is a pipeor passage extendingfrom the gas-outlet pipe 2 to a scrubber or purifier15. 16 is a passage connecting with the gas-engine 17.

In the operation of the above apparatus products of combustion are drawnthrough the producer by suction of the fan 12 entering through thetwyers 6. Air is allowed to enter higher up in the producer through theinlet 7. These are arranged at different heights in the producer, sothat air may be admitted at any suitable point. Fig. 3 shows a modifiedform of apparatus, in which 1 is a gas-producer; 2, the gas-outlet; 3,feed-hoppers; 6, twyers for the entrance of products of combustion, and7 7 air-twyers. 8 is a furnace having the hearth 9 and the stack 10. 30is a steam-boiler. From the stack of this boiler aconduit 11 extends tothe twyers 6. A portion of this conduit is situated in the chimney-flueof the furnace 8 and acts as a regenerative passage through the tubes ofthe steam-boiler. Interposed in the conduit11 is a fan 12. On theinletside of the fan is placed the air-entrance 15. Dampers l4 and 13 controlthe flow of products of combustion and air, respectively. .16is anair-fan having the inlet 18 and damper 19. On the exhaust side of thisfan a conduit 17 branches to form the passages 25 and 26. The formerleads directly to the twyers 77. The latter passes through a continuousheat-recuperating flue placed in the stack-flue and showndiagrammatically at 27. 23 and 24 are dampers regulating the flow of airthrough each of these passages. 28 and 29 are dampers for additionalregulation and control of the blast.

What I claim is- 1. Process for using hot products of combustion for theproduction of combustible gas which consists in the introduction intoone extremity of a mass of ignited fuel, of a heated blast containing apreponderating amount of carbon dioxid and sufficient to cool the lowerportions of the fuel mass, and in introducing a blast-current containinga preponderating amount of oxygen into the fuel mass at a point distantfrom said extremity in order to produce a uniform gasifying temperaturethroughout the mass.

2. Process of using hot products of comvthe exothermic reaction of thisconstituent with the carbon of the fuel is sufiicient to cool the lowerportion of the fuel mass below the slagging-point of the fuel and inadding a highly-oxygenated blast beyond this extremity to secure atemperature suflicient to distil the volatile hydrocarbons from thefuel.

3. Process of producing combustible gas which consists in applying atdifferent points in the fuel mass a blast-current containinghighly-heated products of combustion and a blast containing air oroxygen and in so proportioning the volume of these two blasts withregard to their endothermic and exothermic constituents and to theirrespective velocities of reaction that the fuel mass is maintained at auniform gasifying temperature.

4:- Process for producing combustible gas which consists in the use ofhighly heated products of combustion introduced at one point in a massof fuel and in maintaining an amount of carbon dioxid snfficient tosuppress the exothermic action of the oxygen introduced in the sameblast and in adding at a distance beyond the place of introduction ofthe carbon-dioxid blasta blast of air or oxygen sufficient in amount toraise the temperature of the fuel mass to an effective distilling-point.

5. Process of producing combustible gas which consists in theintroduction into one extremity of a mass of ignited fuel of a heatedblast containing carbon dioxid and oxygen, in regulating the relativeamounts of these two constituents with respect to their velocities ofreaction in order to retard the velocity of combination of the oxygenwith the fuel and in adding air at a point beyond said extremitytoproduce a substantial equilibrium and uniformity of temperaturethroughout the mass.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork.

BYRON E. ELDRED.

